°§Olmert: Israel will pull troops out of the Gaza Strip once a stable
truce is guaranteed.

°§Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) began withdrawing part of its troops from Gaza on
Sunday.

°§But the
army refused to reveal when it will finish a complete
withdrawal.

by Deng Yushan

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
speaks at a press conference held jointly with European leaders (not
pictured) in Jerusalem, Jan. 18, 2009. Olmert said on Sunday that Israel
will withdraw troops out of the Gaza Strip once a stable truce is
guaranteed. (Xinhua/GOP) Photo Gallery>>>

JERUSALEM, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel will pull
troops out of the Gaza Strip once a stable truce is guaranteed, said Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday, after his country and Hamas each declared a
ceasefire.

"We intend to leave Gaza as soon as possible once we
make sure that Israel's south is safe. We did not set out to take Gaza, and we
have no desire to stay in it," he told visiting European leaders in the evening
at his official residence.

The remarks came shortly after the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) began withdrawing part of its troops from Gaza in what it said was
an overall redeployment. The army refused to reveal how many troops it will pull
out at the current stage and when it will finish a complete withdrawal.

Israeli soldiers wait to go back by bus
at Israel-Gaza border after returning from the Gaza Strip Jan. 18, 2009.
The Israeli army has begun withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip on
Sunday evening, local news service Ynet reported. (Xinhua/Rafael
Ben-Ari)Photo
Gallery>>>

Recent
local media reports indicated that thousands of regular troops and an additional
several thousand reservists had entered Gaza since Israel launched the ground
incursion on Jan. 3.

The partial withdraw followed announcements in the
afternoon from Hamas and other Gazan militant groups that they decided to stage
a one-week ceasefire with Israel, during which Israel must withdraw its troops.

However, while noting a possible danger that "Hamas
is going to deliberately torpedo the ceasefire" and the accompanying need for
Israel "to re-initiate offensive actions," Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said
earlier in the day that "we can't talk about a timetable for withdrawal until we
know the ceasefire is holding."

When declaring Israel's unilateral truce on Saturday
night, Olmert said that the Gaza offensive, dubbed Operation Cast Lead, achieved
all its goals, but Israel will keep its military presence in Gaza, and will
consider the withdrawal only when Hamas entirely ends its rocket fire at Israel.

Israeli soldiers walk on Israel-Gaza
border after returning from the Gaza Strip Jan. 18, 2009. The Israeli army
has begun withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening,
local news service Ynet reported. (Xinhua/Rafael Ben-Ari) (Xinhua
Photo)Photo
Gallery>>>

In a letter to the troops on Sunday, the IDF Chief of
General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi stressed that the operation "has yet to be
concluded, and the next several days call for us to remain alert and ready,
until peace and quiet are restored to our cities."

Amid concerns over possible Palestinian attacks,
Israel is widely expected to retain some forces in Gaza. The returning troops,
said local news service Ynet, were stationed along the border.

In a sign of the fragility of the truce, Gazan
militants fired at least 15 rockets at southern Israel on Sunday, injuring two
people, and Israeli warplanes staged airstrikes at the launching sites in
response.

Exchange of fire between Israeli soldiers and Gazan
militants also occurred in northern Gaza, and a Palestinian farmer was shot dead
in southern Gaza by Israeli troops who claimed that he was approaching the
military zone.

Clashes subsided at night. Should a respite be in
place, it would bring a pause to the three weeks of bloodshed across the
Israel-Gaza border, during which over 1,300 Gazans have been killed and 13
Israelis have also died.

A temporary lull would also pave the way for a
possible lasting truce deal between the Jewish state and the Islamist movement,
in light of the intensifying international mediation efforts led by Egypt.

Israeli soldiers walk on Israel-Gaza
border after returning from the Gaza Strip Jan. 18, 2009. The Israeli army
has begun withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening,
local news service Ynet reported. (Xinhua/Rafael Ben-Ari)(Xinhua
Photo)Photo
Gallery>>>

While Hamas sets conditions for any long-term truce
by asking for the lifting of blockade Israel imposed on Gaza, Israel demands an
international mechanism to curb arms smuggling into Gaza and thus prevent Hamas
from rearming.

Speaking to the leaders of Britain, France, Germany,
Italy and the Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency,
Olmert thanked them for their support for Israel's security and pledged
cooperation to bring peace to the volatile land.

The guests, who earlier attended a summit in Egypt
with Arab leaders and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Gaza situation,
called for a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, which requires
an end to hostilities and the removal of the Gaza siege among others.

GAZA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army began on
Sunday evening withdrawing part of its troops from the Gaza Strip, after both
Israel and Hamas announced their ceasefire plans.

Footage of Israeli TV Channel 10 showed that Israeli
tanks and soldiers were moving toward the border from inside the Palestinian
enclave. An Israeli military spokesman later confirmed that the army has started
pulling out part of its forces. Full story

JERUSALEM, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert said Sunday that his nation will pull troops out of the Gaza Strip once a
stable truce is guaranteed.

"We intend to leave Gaza as soon as possible once we make
sure that Israel's south is safe. We did not set out to take Gaza, and we have
no desire to stay in it," he told visiting European leaders in the evening at
his official residence. Full story

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A
number of European and Mideast leaders wrapped up an international summit hosted
by Egypt on the situation of the Gaza Strip here on Sunday afternoon, pressing
for parties concerned to consolidate a fragile ceasefire in the Palestinian
enclave.

The international conference on Gaza, co-chaired by
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, was
attended by a number of European leaders, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Arab
League Secretary General Amr Moussa as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas. Full story

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday that the ceasefire in Gaza Strip should
become a durable and lasting truce.

Ban made his call at a press conference following an
international summit in the Egyptian resort, which was attended by a number of
European leaders, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas. Full story